The present invention relates to a stent deployment system and apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an improved stent deployment system for use with a catheter for deployment.
It is well known to use balloon angioplasty catheters for dilating various vessels of human bodies and most particularly for opening stenotic or restricted coronary arteries. It is also well known to place stents into vessels to maintain patency of a dilated vessel. In such systems, a balloon angioplasty or dilatation catheter is inserted into a patient and advanced to align a dilatation balloon with a lesion. Inflation pressure is supplied to the balloon to open the lesion. Stents are inserted into a patient in a collapsed condition and are deployed to conform to the shape of a dilated vessel. Balloon expandable or self expanding stents are known.
The dimensions of coronary arteries are relatively small. Thus, it is a very difficult and arduous task to track treatment devices to a lesion site in coronary arteries. Stents may be deployed by catheter devices including an inflatable balloon at a distal end. Such catheter devices may be used to dilate a lesion in addition to stent deployment. To facilitate deployment of a stent via a catheter, it is desirable to provide a device that does not interfere with dilatation and which can be easily maneuvered to a treatment site for deployment without damage.